Spirit Fliers
by Tisrusewa Karyu
Summary: A boy from the plains realizes his dream to fly by capturing and training an ikran named Big Blue. Contains rituals missing from Avatar: before leaving for Iknimaya, before leaving Iknimaya, and requesting Dream Hunt. Irayo.
1. Chapter 1: Birth Clan

**Spirit Fliers**

I gratefully acknowledge one of the foremost creative geniuses of our times, James Cameron, for conceiving the lush moon Pandora and the "noble savages," the Na'vi, that inhabit it. This story uses the setting he created and several lines of dialog from his movie, Avatar. I have not received any money for my work based on Avatar. (If I did, I would use the money to get counseling to try to overcome my obsession with Pandora.)

This story contains all original characters and situations, set in two Na'vi clans not necessarily appearing in the movie. It is a triptych by which my ideas about ikran are presented. I have spent way too many hours reading Avatar fan fiction, and have not been satisfied with the ideas on communicating with and training an ikran. I apologize in advance if these ideas are already extant but not encountered by me.

My original intent was to learn the Na'vi language and write hunting stories in that language. When I started, the Na'vi language did not contain words for many items and concepts seen in the movie, such as clothing, hair styles, and hunting. It appeared that the language committee could not or would not approve proposals for such words. They spent their time making abstract or contemporary words like lawyer (pängkxoyu lekoren) or nonsense tongue-twisters like prrkxentrrkrr. IMHO, the Na'vi language is useless if it cannot express the everyday life of the Na'vi, or even describe what is visible on the movie screen. For that reason, I will write Avatar fan fiction in American English until the Na'vi language becomes useful. Finally, as of August 2011, some words for clothing have been coined, so there is hope that the language eventually will become useful for expressing hunting stories. I will use Na'vi idioms I understand wherever they fit, e.g., little hunter from the Na'vi taronyutsyìp.

As this story is independent of humans, the animals are identified using the Na'vi names. Here are the human names and Na'vi equivalents for these animals: direhorse is pa'li, banshee is ikran, great leonopteryx is toruk, hexapede is yerik, tapirus is fwampop, arachnoid is kali'weya, and brainworm is eltungawng. In all cases, the plural is formed by prefixing the Na'vi word shown with 'ay'. Unlike English, where the number of the subject and verb must agree, the Na'vi language eliminates that redundancy. In one draft, I used the Na'vi plural where needed to make the numbers agree, but it looked very ugly. Taking my lead from Na'vi, I used the singular form of these animal names everywhere, and let the number come from the context. Yes, it is more complicated than that, but please bear with me. Sorry if you find this confusing, just think of this approach as a baby step towards learning Na'vi.

This chapter is very short, the remaining chapters are much longer. Happy Birthday, Jake (watch the last video log at the end of Avatar).

**Chapter One - Birth Clan**

One afternoon, a messenger from a neighboring forest clan flew into the village of a pa'li clan on the plains. He landed in the central clearing, and jumped off his ikran. Immediately, villagers, mostly children, surrounded the pair. In a loud voice, he said, "Please, do not look into the eyes of my ikran." Since the children were the offenders, the adults shooed them away from the front of the ikran, but most found places beside or behind where they could stare at the unusual beast without causing trouble. As is customary when a messenger arrives, the villagers gave both rider and ikran food and water while gathering the elders to receive the message. As these messages were verbal, it was important to have as many people hear it and question the messenger as possible, so misunderstandings are avoided.

One small boy ran out of the crowd, yelling, "Rider, can I pet your ikran?"

The face of the rider softened as he looked at the boy and replied "Little hunter, I have a son a little older than you, and he dreams of becoming an ikran rider. Your clan does not have ikran because these plains cannot support them, so I am sure you are very curious about my flying partner. Come here."

The rider bonded with his ikran, who leaned forward to bring his back lower to the ground. The rider lifted the boy up and sat him on the saddle. The boy's feet could not reach the foot bar, but did find natural places to settle on the spiracles. He could not reach the handhold harness between the antennae, so the rider gathered the antennae together and the boy grabbed hold of them. The boy beamed a brilliant smile that made all adults watching him smile in response.

"Is riding an ikran the same as riding a pa'li?" the boy asked.

"No. When riding a pa'li, you sit on its back the whole time. When riding an ikran, you can sit only during straight and level flight. You must stand at all other times, so the ikran can feel your movements and respond to them. The ikran moves much faster than the pa'li, so the rider must be much quicker to control the ikran, and that can only be done while standing."

"I See. The ikran follows the movements it feels from its rider's body. Much the way adults do when they dance and mate."

Although a few adults looked shocked, most were laughing uproariously. "You are a very observant little rider. Yes, part of the training a rider gives his ikran is teaching the ikran to understand how to change its flight based on the movement of the rider. That way is much faster than giving commands through the bond. Now, I must get to work, as your elders have arrived." The rider helped the boy down, and broke the bond. The whole time the discussion lasted among the visiting messenger and clan elders, the boy stood against the ikran with both hands petting its body, oblivious to the talk while pondering how to train an ikran as big and beautiful as this one.

Even before the boy sat on the messenger's ikran, he dreamed of flight. Like all children of the plains, his parents gave him a toy shaped like a pa'li, but he pretended his toy soared over the village. After sitting on the ikran, he told his playmates he was an ikran rider, but they did not play along and sometimes teased him by calling him ikran sitter. However, nothing stopped his dreams of flying.

Some days later, a traveling party from the same clan as the messenger arrived at the village. That night, they were the guests of honor at a feast held in the gathering place. The clan leader stood, and first introduced the escorts that were returning home the next day. The leader of the escorts rose, said some pleasantries about the warm welcome, the good relations between the neighboring clans, the clan gathering that was about half a year away when both clans would again meet, and the feast that was being prepared as he spoke. The boy did not hear many of these words, daydreaming about what he would be doing if they had brought an ikran just for him.

The clan leader rose again, introducing more newcomers, one family and three adolescent hunters, who would stay at least until the clan gathering, and let each of them speak. The father of the family is a healer, the number two healer in the forest clan, here to complete the training of the new leader of the healers after the premature death of the previous leader. He introduced his mate, a crafter of leather and jewelry, and their child, a baby girl. The visiting healer mentioned his desire to learn about the medicinal plants found on the plains, and his mate's desire to share techniques in working leather to create useful items and adornments. The first adolescent is a hunter and singer apprentice who is here to learn whatever songs are new to her, and to teach the songs she knows that the singers here do not know. The second is a hunter wanting to learn more about pa'li, how to care, treat, and train them. Since her clan requires each hunter to capture and train an ikran, the pa'li do not get as much attention. This clan has no ikran and relies solely on pa'li, so she knows she will learn more about pa'li here, and will have more time to do so as she will not have to train or care for her own ikran. The boy heard this and thought, "You can keep your pa'li. Give me your ikran." The third is a hunter and warrior who rather sheepishly admitted he has always been afraid of nothing, but gets shaky while experiencing heights. He can run aerial trails and climb trees, but does not think he can fly an ikran without difficulty. He wants to prove his value to this clan so that he can become a member and live out his life here, avoiding the stigma attached to his vertigo. These words stunned the boy, as this hunter could not fly because of his reaction to heights. The boy could think of nothing better than rising high above the plains that seem so flat and dull.

The clan leader rose again and said they may ask to join the clan after they have lived here for some time and have demonstrated their value. The final decision will be made by the clan elders, but the newcomers should know in their hearts by the gathering. Hunting on the plains is very different from hunting in the forest, so they are not expected to know those skills, and will be taught starting tomorrow. Before that, though, all but the baby must demonstrate their bola, spear, knife, archery, and pa'li skills in the morning after the traveling party departs. They will be introduced to their respective specialty groups after the demonstrations, who then will take them to the mid-day meal. After the meal, they will all meet with the leader of the hunters to plan their training. Life here will be very full and busy.

Finally, the clan leader introduced two adolescent hunters from this clan that were going to the forest clan to learn how to hunt in the forest and fly ikran. The clan leader spoke how everyone will miss them, and how everyone hopes to see them again at the clan gathering. Unspoken was the fact that, if successful, these two hunters would join the forest clan, and most likely would have little contact with this clan after the gathering. The crowd applauded the travelers, and got down to the serious work of partying as the food was being distributed. The boy, however, was lost in the thought that the forest clan welcomes hunters from this clan, and that seemed the most promising way to get an ikran of his own.

Later that evening, the boy went to the clan leader and Tsahik, and asked if they would let him join the travelers in the morning so he could learn to fly an ikran. The Tsahik explained that he was much too young to leave his family, and the forest clan would not accept him until he became an accomplished hunter. The clan leader said that the climb to where the wild ikran lived was very arduous, and he must be strong enough to make the climb if he wanted to capture his own ikran. He is too young now, but if he joins the warrior training when he is old enough, that would be the best preparation this clan could give him. The clan leader pointed out that the two hunters from this clan leaving in the morning were also in warrior training, and did so for the very same reason. The boy was disappointed that he could not leave with them, but resolved to become a hunter and warrior when he is old enough.

The next morning, the Tsahik informed the parents of their son's request. They knew he was keenly interested in ikran, but never guessed that he was willing to leave family and clan at this time to pursue his dream. The Tsahik knew she had much work to do with this family, as the path Eywa has for some of her children can be very difficult for their families. She explained to the parents that several from each generation leave for other clans, and several from other clans come here to join this clan. This mixing of bloodlines makes all clans stronger, at the cost of leaving loved ones behind. It also allows the restless ones to fulfill their dreams, and that is simply following the call of Eywa. All Na'vi are expected to do what pleases them the most, as that makes for the greatest happiness and productivity in both the individual and the clan. The parents still hoped their son would outgrow his desire to fly an ikran, but promised the Tsahik to guide him as best they could to achieve his goal as long as he pursued it, with the help of Eywa and the clan elders.


	2. Chapter 2: Iknimaya

**Spirit Fliers**

I gratefully acknowledge one of the foremost creative geniuses of our times, James Cameron, for conceiving the lush moon Pandora and the "noble savages," the Na'vi, that inhabit it. This story uses the setting he created and several lines of dialog from his movie, Avatar. I have not received any money for my work based on Avatar. (If I did, I would use the money to get counseling to try to overcome my obsession with Pandora.)

This story contains all original characters and situations, set in two Na'vi clans not necessarily appearing in the movie. It is a triptych by which my ideas about ikran are presented. I have spent way too many hours reading Avatar fan fiction, and have not been satisfied with the ideas on communicating with and training an ikran. I apologize in advance if these ideas are already extant but not encountered by me.

As this story is independent of humans, the animals are identified using the Na'vi names. Here are the human names and Na'vi equivalents for these animals: direhorse is pa'li, banshee is ikran, great leonopteryx is toruk, hexapede is yerik, viperwolf is nantang, tapirus is fwampop, arachnoid is kali'weya, and brainworm is eltungawng. In all cases, the plural is formed by prefixing the Na'vi word shown with 'ay'. Unlike English, where the number of the subject and verb must agree, the Na'vi language eliminates that redundancy. In one draft, I used the Na'vi plural where needed to make the numbers agree, but it looked very ugly. Taking my lead from Na'vi, I used the singular form of these animal names everywhere, and let the number come from the context. Yes, it is more complicated than that, but please bear with me. Sorry if you find this confusing, just think of this approach as a baby step towards learning Na'vi.

Thanks to vanSnyder for sending my first review ever. Don't let the tragedy part throw you. Like us, the Na'vi do not welcome death, but they know it is a consequence of life. Our society is too insulated from death. We have special places, hospitals, hospices, nursing homes, and funeral homes, and special people, paramedics, doctors, nurses, and undertakers, to deal with it. Our understanding of humanity suffers because of our ignorance of death.

Thanks also to Goldweatherman and Random the Na'vi. Hope this next installment meets your expectations.

**Chapter 2: Iknimaya**

The pa'li of the forest clan plodded quietly along the trail that led to the floating mountains. He was towards the middle of the single-file line of pa'li with five other ikran rider candidates on their way to the mountain rookery, each to capture an ikran. Two warriors led the way, and another warrior and the clan leader brought up the rear. The three adult warriors would take the pa'li back after waiting overnight for anyone who could not complete the climb. That has not happened in many years, but still they would wait, as that is their customary duty. The clan leader will guide the candidates up to the rookery, and will meet his ikran and two hunter leaders on their ikran at the end of the trail. Still in the forest, all were on the lookout for any predator that might attack the party. His vigilance did not keep his mind from wandering, though.

He thought back to his home clan on the plains, where he first learned to ride pa'li. In time, he was able to ride a fully grown pa'li, but even at the fastest gallop, he was not satisfied. The pa'li could never fly high above the plains and over his village. He worked hard in his hunter and warrior training, and became proficient enough in the necessary skills. His goal was to become capable enough that the forest clan would admit him into their hunter training, and that worked against him competing with his peers. His parents never fully accepted his desire to leave, but they wished him well when he left, and gave him some new loincloths and a belongings rack to hang inside the tree home of the forest clan, now his home. His parents learned of these racks from a former member of that clan, and his father carved it from the wood of a tree that grew only on the plains, so it is unique within the tree home. His mother made three new loincloths for him decorated as customary for their pa'li clan of the plains, one for formal wear, and two for daily working wear. His new rack would not hang empty.

In the years between sitting on the messenger's ikran and leaving the plains, he spent much time questioning clan members and visitors from ikran clans. He heard about nesting season, when most ikran left their Na'vi partners to return to their ancestral rookeries to mate and raise hatchlings, returning once their parenting duties are complete. Some adult ikran stayed behind each season, and no one knew why, except that it was the will of Eywa. He heard many stories about ikran training. The most important was teaching the ikran to understand picture commands sent through the bond. Once the basic commands through the bond are established, fly, land, left, right, higher, lower, faster, slower, the ikran is taught to feel the rider's body movements and respond to them, which is much faster and more natural for the pair. The ikran must be trained to control its natural urges for waste elimination and eating. With hundreds of bonded ikran living in the canopy of the tree, a noxious rain would fall all the time if the ikran relieved themselves as they did in the wild. Adult ikran do not foul their nests, so each rider must teach his or her ikran to treat the whole tree home and surrounding area as one large nest. All bonded ikran must fly to a designated place, called the ikran area, where they can relieve themselves without disrupting clan life. Similarly, the ikran are taught not to hunt in the lands around the tree home, as the game would be depleted quickly. For those ikran that are too sick or injured to fly, their riders bring meat to their roosts and feed them by hand. All other riders fly their ikran out to an assigned clan territory to feed, the riders selecting the prey that their ikran may have, with all kills reported to the leader of the hunters to protect the herds. Finally, both rider and ikran must learn to recognize and respond appropriately to the emotions from each other. The rider has many more emotions than the ikran, and most will confuse the ikran. Conversely, the ikran has few emotions, but those usually are strong enough to break the concentration of the rider. Both must learn to control sending emotions through the bond, and learn to react properly to the emotions received. Once he started training with the forest clan, he learned the details associated with these topics. His teachers were impressed that a boy from the plains already knew so much about an animal that is not native to his home area.

Directly in front of him in the line of pa'li was his best friend, the son of the messenger that rode the first ikran he ever touched. He thought back to that clan gathering where he sought out the messenger, who introduced him to his mate, his two daughters, and his only son, their youngest child. The two boys hit it off immediately. With the messenger's son being about half a year older, he looked upon the boy from the plains as the little brother he wanted so badly. They played together during the whole gathering, mostly with the other boys from the forest clan. They eagerly showed him their ikran games, and learned his pa'li games. Before the gathering ended, the messenger gave him a carved ikran toy much like the one he made for his son.

When he arrived at the tree home of the forest clan years later, he renewed these acquaintances, and that made his transition much easier. As a young hunter, technically, he was on his own, but the messenger's family included him in their lives, and he really did feel like the little brother. They helped him find a place for his belongings rack, where besides his spare clothing and adornments, he hung his two most prized possessions, the toy pa'li made by his father, and the toy ikran made by the messenger. Although he had much to learn about hunting in the forest, he quickly became a productive hunter to pay back the forest clan for taking him in and teaching him their ways.

The trip continued through the morning without any excitement. After following the bank of a river for some time, the path turned uphill, and he hoped he would soon see the mountains.

He thought back five days ago. The clan leader and the leader of the hunters gave them their hunting assignments for fulfillment that day, and commanded that they rest for the following four days. They would not hunt for the clan again until after their return from the rookery. During these rest days, they reported after breakfast each morning to the main archery range where they practiced as a group shooting from moving pa'li, preparing for shooting from flying ikran. After that, they met with the ikran trainer to review everything concerning the capturing and initial training of an ikran. The trainer also took them to the leather crafters to be fitted with the eye protectors needed for flying. From mid-afternoon until the evening meal, they cared for the pa'li. This task gave them a physical activity to burn off nervous energy, without being very strenuous. Taking care of these animals focused their minds on doing similar activities with ikran. Climbing up to the rookery was usually the most physically demanding activity hunters would face in their life, so they collected their strength and endurance over the rest days for the burst of exertion today.

He thought about the ceremony last night. The Tsahik met the candidates at the pa'li pasture, and told them to clean up, wear their best outfits, bring their ikran catchers and full hunting gear, think whom to thank for this opportunity, and be on time for the evening meal. No one dared to be late, and they quit early to prepare. When he arrived, the gathering level was unusually crowded. He joined the family of his best friend in their customary spot, but had to squeeze in with his hunting tools. Except for the warriors on sentry and patrol duties, the entire clan was there, buzzing excitedly. The Tsahik strode into the gathering level carrying a pot of paint. A hush fell over the crowd as she stopped in the center of the space. She called out the names of the six candidates, one at a time. As each walked up to her, she painted an ikran symbol on their face, and then positioned them into a circle around her, the candidates facing outwards towards the crowd, usually facing their families. He felt resplendent standing there in his best loincloth made by his mother and brought from the plains, with his adornments and full hunting regalia made by the forest clan, and his own hand-made ikran catcher on his hip. He wished he could walk around and check out the other five candidates now, but that would have to wait for later.

Once she positioned the six candidates, she centered herself within the circle and spoke with a loud voice. "The six young hunters you see standing before you are leaving early in the morning for Iknimaya. Each is an accomplished hunter that has given us some of the meat we have eaten recently, along with the skins, bones, and other parts made into items we use every day. By capturing and training an ikran, each will be able to give even more food and necessary items to the clan. For this we all are very grateful." The crowd cheered its agreement, and shouts of thank you were heard over the clamor.

The Tsahik raised her hands, and the crowd quieted down. "Except for the youngest children here, we have all bonded with a pa'li. Through the bond, you can feel whether the pa'li is tired, hungry, thirsty, too hot, too cold, overburdened, or in pain. You can also feel its emotions. The pa'li has very few emotions, but those can be very strong, such as fear when predators are near or anger when offspring are threatened. We have many more emotions, but the pa'li ignores the emotions it does not have. The ikran is much more sensitive to our emotions. It responds to emotions it does not have, sometimes in ways that are quite unexpected. For this reason, part of training an ikran is showing it emotions it does not have, and guiding its reaction to them. Tomorrow, at a ceremony in the rookery, the newly captured ikran will be introduced to the emotions of gratitude, appreciation, and love. In order for the new riders to impart these emotions to their ikran, they will now express their thanks to everyone who has helped them to prepare for Iknimaya." Speaking to the candidates, she said "While you are thanking those who helped you, remember the feelings you have now, so you can relive these feelings tomorrow night with the ikran you have captured."

The Tsahik walked up behind one candidate, a young woman known for her spiritual outlook, put her hands on the candidate's shoulders, and asked her to speak. She thanked Eywa, her parents, her instructors, and other friends that made her a good hunter. She singled out an older brother who helped her with hunting techniques since she started walking, and a former hunter turned gruff archery instructor who went to Eywa a couple of years ago. The Tsahik moved from candidate to candidate in no particular order, leaving the young hunter from the plains for last. Since the first five candidates were born about the same time and raised together in this clan, they shared the same teachers and said similar things. The little brother of one candidate tried to make his sister laugh by making faces, but a scowl from the Tsahik caused the father to pick up his son and end the prank. Other than this distraction, each candidate tried to express their appreciation, gratitude, and love, but said the same things in pretty much the same way.

When the Tsahik put her hands on the shoulders of the boy from the plains, he spoke up to the crowd. "Guess the Tsahik saved me for last because my story is very different from the rest of the candidates. I thank Eywa for the long journey in pursuit of my dream to capture an ikran and fly on it high in the air. Since I was born in a clan on the plains, you will not recognize the names of my parents, siblings, or teachers. Even though they are not here to receive my thanks and gratitude, I appreciate them for all they have done for me over the years I lived with them. I am wearing a loincloth made by my mother, and thank her for her handiwork that displays my plains heritage. You may know the names of the clan leader and Tsahik of my birth clan who helped prepare me to come to this clan, and prepared my family for my departure. They too are not here, but I thank them both. From this clan, I thank the messenger that flew into my village many years ago, and let me sit on and pet his ikran. He has been like a father to me since my arrival here. I thank his mate who has been like a mother to me, and includes me in their family activities. I thank their children for treating me like their little brother, especially my best friend who is standing beside me and who has done much to make me a better hunter in the forest. I am not related by blood to this family, but I love them as if they were. I am grateful to Eywa for giving me two families to love. I thank my teachers here, all named already. I wish I would have known the archery instructor everyone else has mentioned, but my first archery instructor sounds very much like him. Thanks to both for being so memorable. Finally, I thank the clan leader, the Tsahik, the leader of the hunters, and the rest of this clan for taking me in and teaching me what I need to know to hunt in the forest, and especially for giving me the opportunity to capture an ikran and fly. Thank you to everyone in this clan. I love all of you." The crowd cheered loudly in response.

The Tsahik raised her arms, and the crowd quieted again. Smiling, she thanked the candidates, and reminded them again to remember how they felt while thanking their mentors. Turning serious again, she said "Bonding with an ikran is a great responsibility. Much time is needed to train an ikran, to turn a wild beast into a productive partner. Until an ikran is fully trained, it needs the attention of its rider every day, much as a new baby needs its parents every day. As children, we are taught responsibility by our parents, and start usually by helping with our brothers and sisters. As we get older, we understand that the clan is an extension of our family, meaning all clan members are our brothers and sisters, and we must do what we can to help the entire clan. The most important responsibility we have is learning the skills we need to survive and thrive. We must learn how to stay alive in the forest, and keep others alive. Then, we must learn what we do best, and learn as much about that skill as possible. When we master a skill, we must pass it on to anyone who is interested. These six young hunters have worked their entire lives preparing for this new responsibility. They have learned hunting skills, and have demonstrated their mastery. They have learned the ways of the animals in the forest, hunting alone and in groups, on foot and on pa'li, using knives, bolas, spears, and bows and arrows. After stalking and making kills, they know how to clean and butcher the carcasses, and safely transport all useful parts back home. They have prepared their bodies, minds, and spirits. Those responsible for them, their parents, teachers, the leader of the hunters, the clan leader, and myself, have seen their preparations and have determined that they are ready for the responsibility of capturing and training an ikran. With the blessing of Eywa, may they all capture an ikran and return safely from Iknimaya." The crowd cheered their assent, and she released the candidates to sit with their families as the food was served. Throughout the meal and into the evening, clan members came up to him and the other candidates and wished them well.

Through the trees, he could see the floating rocks and vines that made the path to the rookery. He wondered why there were no such floating rocks out on the plains. He would have spent much time climbing up the vines so he could look down on his village, pretending he was flying. Soon he would be climbing those vines overhead, and later he would be flying on his own ikran. His eager anticipation to fly is tempered by the many years of preparation it took to get here, and the seemingly endless climb up to the rookery. He laughed to himself when he realized all candidates with him were probably thinking the same thought. Many hunters have done this before, so there is no reason why he cannot do it.

The pa'li climbed above the tree line, and soon halted at the anchoring vines. All dismounted, and after a quick equipment check and a short break, the candidates began their ascent up the vines, with the clan leader going first.

Just as his birth clan leader said, the climb to the rookery was long and arduous. Even with their extensive physical training, all candidates were tired after the effort, but exhilarated by what is to come. They rested briefly while taking in the view of the rookery, ate small snacks, drank a little water, and went over a quick summary of what must be done to capture an ikran. The clan leader made every effort to bolster everyone's confidence and lighten the mood enough to get the party relaxed but focused. Once they were ready, they climbed the final short distance into the rookery.

After walking out onto the lower edge of the rookery, he saw a ledge above him that afforded a better view. He climbed up the cliff to the ledge, and looked out over the entire rookery. The others were walking into the rookery beneath him, and were already examining the nearby ikran. The clan leader put his hand on the shoulder blade of his best friend and spoke into his ear. Apparently, he was going first, as he took his ikran catcher off his hip, unrolled it in his hands, and walked towards the nearest ikran, who squawked and took flight. Looking up from the action, he scanned the entire rookery, and made eye contact with a huge blue ikran sitting about half the way around the rookery. That ikran stood up and bellowed a cry heard over the din, and maintained eye contact until it settled back down. He knew that big blue ikran was his ikran, if he could find a way to approach it. Looking back down to those below him, he saw that a smaller green ikran had chosen his best friend with a warning cry, and the first capture of the day commenced.

His best friend twirled his ikran catcher, a single ended bola made from a hairy frond that stuck to itself, as the green ikran watched intently. Just as the ikran lunged to bite him, he sidestepped its head. As its mouth snapped shut on empty air, he directed the catcher to wrap around the snout, sealing its mouth shut. He jumped on the ikran's neck, just behind the head, and pulled its snout down against its neck. He wrapped his arms and legs around the ikran's head and neck, pinning it in this ungainly position that keeps the ikran from flying away. The ikran was furious because it could not straighten its neck or get the weight off its head. It tried hopping and shaking, to no avail, and toppled over when it lost its balance. His best friend freed his hands and made the bond, effectively "capturing" this ikran. He removed the catcher, letting it drop on the ground. As the ikran sat up again, he slid down its neck to sit in the usual riding position on its back, and gripped the antennae. Everyone in the party was cheering them on as the pair jumped off the edge to begin their first flight.

The leader looked up at him and beckoned him to climb down. He looked for his big blue ikran off in the distance, but could no longer see it. His heart sank as he realized his ikran flew away while he was watching his best friend. Glumly, he climbed down the cliff.

As he walked up to the party, the clan leader put his hand on his shoulder blade and asked "Do you want to go next?"

He replied "While I was on that ledge, a large blue ikran picked me, but I can't see it now. If I could …"

A loud warning cry boomed out overhead, causing everyone to duck, and an oversized blue ikran landed right in front of them.

"… He's here! Since my ikran came to me, I'll go next."

"Are you sure you want this ikran? An ikran this size is older than most, and will be harder to train. A young hunter should partner with a young ikran, as it will live longer."

"Yes, I want this ikran. I knew this ikran was meant for me when I first saw it way over there," pointing to the spot off in the distance, "and now that it has come to me, how can I refuse it?"

The clan leader nodded his head, and lightly pushed him forward. Not all candidates feel such a strong pull to a particular ikran, but it must be respected when that happens, even if there are reasons to the contrary. The rest of the party shouted encouragements behind him on as he took his catcher off and started to spin it around.

He and the blue ikran locked eyes and watched each other warily, both ignoring the catcher. The ikran lunged forward as he sidestepped the bite, but the ikran sensed his motion and moved its head towards him as he brought the catcher down on its snout. Instead of wrapping around in one place, it spiraled up the snout, with the weighted end hitting just above and between the eyes on the side towards him. The eyes were not injured, but the blow between the eyes caused the ikran to jerk away and close his eyes, effectively blinding it for a moment. The catcher fell uselessly onto the ground. He jumped for its neck, but the ikran was jerking away, so he missed and slid down to the ground. Fortunately, he had grabbed one antenna and dragged it down with him. The claw on the alula nearest him raked his leg, drawing some blood along the scratch, but did no real damage. He rolled beneath the ikran to escape the claws, and made the bond without physically subduing the beast. The ikran had started to bellow, but the bond cut it short. He scrambled out and jumped in place on its back before the ikran had recovered enough to move. After placing his feet on the spiracles like he did so many years ago, getting a good grip on both antennae, and taking a deep breath to calm himself, he made a mental image of the ikran flying off the ledge with him sitting on its back, and the big blue ikran responded by taking flight.

As the rest of the party cheered them on, they dropped off the ledge and began their first flight. He remembered to breathe deeply to keep calm and blocked his emotions, while picturing what the ikran should do. Carefully, he went through the basic commands, left, right, higher, lower, faster, slower, and the ikran responded correctly each time to the mental image he made. Then, after he felt comfortable with picturing commands, he started moving his body first, and picturing commands only when the ikran did not respond to his movement. Soon, the ikran caught on to following the motion of its rider, and the picture commands were not needed very often. He was careful to stay near the rookery, so he wouldn't get lost. Several times, his elation with flight broke his concentration, letting his feelings through the bond. At first, these lapses resulted in a direction change and roar from his ikran, but later it tolerated that emotion without complaint. Eventually, the clan leader flew up beside them, and told him to return to the rookery, land near the others, and stay sitting on and bonded with his ikran. Once all pairs landed, the clan leader would start the ceremony marking their new status.

As they neared the rookery, he gave the picture command to land on the ledge. He saw the leader of the hunters and the ikran trainer, each standing beside and bonded with their ikran, well back from the ledge and facing outwards. Between them and the ledge were three piles, each covered by a large skin. Sitting on the ledge were three other candidates, still bonded and sitting on their ikran. He landed on the ledge besides the three, and remained sitting in place. His ikran bellowed a welcoming cry to the ikran behind the trainer, who cried in response. The trainer had a strange look on his face. The big blue ikran gave a picture of a nest with three eggs, and then a picture of a nest with three hatchlings, then a picture of a hatchling flying off, looking like a very young version of the trainer's ikran. The trainer shouted, "If I understand the pictures from my ikran, your ikran is his father." "Big Blue has given me pictures of one of his offspring, starting with eggs, and the last looks like your ikran, only very much smaller." Their conversation ended when the last two pairs landed in quick succession.

The leader of the hunters yelled over the background din "Everyone, stay seated on your ikran, and stay bonded. See if you can move your ikran forward, away from the edge and closer to the three piles you see before you." At first, no ikran moved forward. Then, one hopped right up to a pile. Once the other ikran saw what to do, they all moved forward and into line. "Yes, that's good. Now we can begin the ceremony.

The clan leader flew in from the side and landed between the leader of the hunters and the ikran trainer, jumping from his ikran as it settled in place. "Congratulations! All six of you have successfully captured and bonded with an ikran today. You are due much honor for succeeding today, and bring much honor to our clan for increasing the numbers of our bonded ikran. Together, you and your ikran will be able to hunt over a much larger area, increasing the food supply for our clan. With more food, our clan can grow in numbers and in individual well-being. I thank you for the entire clan."

"We will now welcome these ikran into our clan. First, though, you need to wash the ikran sign off your face that the Tsahik painted last night. Stay seated on your ikran, we will come around and give you what you need." The three senior clan members went to each new rider, carrying a skin of water, washing cloths, and drying leaves. Each rider washed the paint off, and welcomed the comfort of washing his or her face with cool water after a long, hard day.

"As you have heard today, the ikran communicate among themselves with cries and squawks. We know that the wild ikran do not know our language. Over time, your ikran will come to know some of your words, but until today, it has never heard your words. So, you speak to them mostly with the images you can make in your mind. Sometimes, we can show them what we mean. You will be an example for them, and the three ikran facing you will be examples for them. First, we will show them our hunting tools. Everyone, jump down from your ikran, but stay bonded. Move in front of your ikran where it can see you, and stay bonded so you can command it to stay in place if need be. You left most, if not all, hunting tools behind for your first flight. We will now hand your tools back. After you have put everything else back on, put your bow over your shoulder." The three adults distributed the bows, arrows, knives, bolas, and ikran catchers they had collected in the rookery today. As the new riders finished donning their gear, the adults stood beside their ikran and did likewise.

"Now that your ikran sees you with your hunting tools, you will show it how you hunt, so it will know how you get food. To qualify for Iknimaya, each of you had to make at least one clean kill. You will show your ikran one clean kill as a series of pictures. Picture the prey as you stalked it." The clan leader paused as the new riders made the mental images, and the ikran absorbed them. "Now, picture your arrow or spear or bola make the disabling blow." Again, the clan leader paused. "Now, picture yourself finishing off your kill." Another pause. "Now, picture yourself saying the prayer over your kill. We will say the prayer aloud together, so the ikran can hear the words as they see the pictures in your minds."

The nine hunters recited the prayer in unison:

"_I See you, brother, and thank you._

_Your spirit goes with Eywa._

_Your body stays behind to become part of The People."_

"Now we will pass out two parcels of meat to each of you, setting them at your feet. The large parcel is raw meat from a kill made while we were climbing up here. When I say to do so, give this meat to your ikran. The small parcel is grilled meat, made by our clan's food preparers this morning after we left. When I say to do so, eat this grilled meat yourself, and do not give any to your ikran." The clan leader removed the skin from the center pile and folded it. The other two adults took the parcels stacked there and distributed them, setting the parcels before the nine ikran.

"Last night, you were asked to give your love and gratitude to those that prepared you for today. Now, remember those feelings and send your gratitude and appreciation and love through the bond to your ikran for selecting you and bonding with you." The clan leader paused. A couple of the new ikran became agitated, but settled down when their riders patted their faces and spoke soothingly to them. Once all ikran seemed content with the new emotions they were experiencing, the clan leader spoke "Pick up the large parcel, unwrap it, and feed it to your ikran." All nine hunters fed their ikran. For the six newly bonded ikran, this is the first time they were fed by another creature since they were hatchlings. Once all nine ikran had finished gulping down their food, the clan leader said, "Now pick up the small parcel, unwrap it, and eat your food in front of your ikran so it can see you eat." Most ikran sat patiently, watching their rider eat, but several newly bonded ikran sniffed at the food. None tried to snatch it away.

"Good. No one lost any fingers today." A few nervous laughs were heard. "Your ikran has seen how you hunt, been introduced to new emotions, have been fed, and have watched you eat. Now we will prepare your ikran for the flight to its new home." All three adults had their ikran stand up and spread their wings. "Focus on the harness and foot bar on the ikran nearest you. Have your ikran look at the harness and foot bar. We will now put a harness, foot bar, saddle, and hand-hold harness on each new ikran. Stay bonded with your ikran, and keep it calm while we work on it." The three adults had their ikran relax, and broke their bonds. The clan leader lifted the skin off another pile and folded it. The leaders began sorting through the gear.

The trainer picked up a harness, foot bar, and saddle, and carried it to the big blue ikran. "I brought one large set, and hope it fits. 'Big Blue' is the largest ikran I have seen, wild or bonded." The trainer helped the rider put the harness and saddle on, and pulled it tight. "That looks good. These long straps have a tendency to stretch, so keep an eye on them, and snug them up every time you fly." The trainer spoke up to the six new riders. "Everyone, take your ikran to the leather crafters tomorrow. Have them check out everything and make any adjustments that are needed. They are always glad to fix your harness, because no one wants you falling off. Make sure you check your harness before each flight. It may save your life." After putting the foot bar in place, the last item was installing the hand-hold harness between the antennae. Long strips of leather are tied across the antennae. Smaller strips are woven across the long strips. Most riders hold this harness with one hand, and hold their bow with the other. Riders usually try many different sizes of leather straps until they find a comfortable hand-hold harness that matches the size of their fingers and hands. It took some time, but all six newly bonded ikran were outfitted. The three adult leaders resumed their positions in front of their ikran.

The clan leader continued, "Our ikran trainer is right. You must always check your harness, foot bar, saddle, and hand-hold harness before each flight. Falling off your ikran because of a broken harness is bad enough, but you will have to face me, the leader of the hunters, and all other ikran riders afterward. The fall will be much easier. These items do wear out because of the weight they bear and the weather. Have the leather crafters check everything out periodically. But, always check everything yourself before each flight. Check the foot bar because it must hold your weight, and it will crack. Hit the foot bar with something, like your knuckle or bow, over its entire length and listen to the sound. If the sound changes, it may be cracked, and then you must check it out very thoroughly. If you have any doubts, get someone else to check it for you. The crafters and the ikran riders are always happy to keep their brothers and sisters safe. Some leaders of flying groups will have everyone check someone else's ikran. That is a very good practice. Remember to command it when you lead a group of fliers someday."

The clan leader took the skin off the last pile, and folded it up, while the other two adults again distributed the revealed items. "Now that your ikran is ready to fly home, we must get you ready to fly home also. As the Tsahik explained last night, you have taken on a great responsibility to train your ikran. You must work with it every day until it is fully trained. In appreciation of your dedication, the clan is giving you two gifts to help with your responsibility. The first gift is your eye protectors. You have been to the leather crafters who have let you choose the design and have fitted it to your head. As you get more experience with wearing it, you may want changes made. Again, the leather crafters will be happy to help you. You need to wear these at all times during each flight. An eye injury, such as an insect hitting your eye, can easily ruin your hunting. Even if something does not fly into your eyes, the wind will dry them out and affect your vision. Always wear these while flying. Most leaders of flying groups will not let you fly without them. Make sure you get the right ones as we are passing them out. The leather crafters try to make each one unique, so remember your design."

"The second gift is your ikran quiver. This holds your arrows on your ikran's back without them getting loose or flying off as they would in a normal quiver. However, the arrows can be removed quickly with one hand. There is a place that holds your bow when it is not needed, so put your bow there for the trip back. Until you get more experience with flying, you should use both hands to hold on. Since you carried only a couple of arrows here today, there is room for other items. Some things you are wearing now, like a bola or an ikran catcher, will easily fly off during flight. Put everything you don't need on your body in this quiver before flying home. The ikran quiver ties to the harness, behind the saddle. Each rider usually tries arranging it several different ways until the best way is found. Today, all of you will get the same arrangement for the flight home, and you can change it after we get back. Do not try to change it while flying. You will lose something if you do. Later on, you can also tie on water skins and carry bags. Before my ikran left this morning, the Tsahik tied a bag with an injury treatment kit beside my saddle." By the time the clan leader finished talking, all gifts had been distributed and tied in place.

"Our ceremony here is complete. You are officially ikran riders of our clan. The leader of the hunters will pair each of you with an experienced ikran rider tomorrow afternoon, and you will train and hunt with your new partner. The ikran trainer will also meet with all six of you tomorrow right after the first meal to discuss the progress with training your ikran. The first skill will be getting your ikran to use the ikran area and not make messes in or around our tree home. We will fly over the ikran area just before landing, and show your ikran what to do there. I need to finish packing, so now is the time to take a break if you need one, and put your loose items into your ikran quiver. I will have final instructions when we are ready to leave."

The three adults finished packing up and tying down the skins and leftover harnesses and foot bars. Once everything was secured, the clan leader commanded that they mount up, and he gave his final instructions. "We will fly home in formation. I will fly the lead position in the center. The two senior hunters will take the outside positions, and three of you will fly between a senior hunter and me. You three will be on my left, and you three will be on my right. Do not change positions while flying. With a flight of nine, we should not encounter any problems, but if something happens, like a toruk appearing, keep calm, keep your ikran calm, and stay with me. The two senior hunters will deal with the problem. When we get to our tree home, we will fly over the ikran area and then land on the lowest roosting branch." He looked at each of the eight riders individually, and it was clear everyone was ready, so he gave the order to leave, "Makto ko." With that, the nine pairs took off, got into formation, and flew home.

The trip home was uneventful. The healers went over the six new ikran riders as soon as they descended from the roosting branch. Each had some cuts, bruises, and scrapes, but all injuries were minor. The last meal was almost over when they landed, but the food preparers had a feast waiting by the time the healers released the very hungry new riders. As no one was seriously injured and each candidate captured an ikran, this was a very successful day for the forest clan.


	3. Chapter 3: Uniltaron

**Spirit Fliers**

I gratefully acknowledge one of the foremost creative geniuses of our times, James Cameron, for conceiving the lush moon Pandora and the "noble savages," the Na'vi, that inhabit it. This story uses the setting he created and several lines of dialog from his movie, Avatar. I have not received any money for my work based on Avatar. (If I did, I would use the money to get counseling to try to overcome my obsession with Pandora.)

This story contains all original characters and situations, set in two Na'vi clans not necessarily appearing in the movie. It is a triptych by which my ideas about ikran are presented. I have spent way too many hours reading Avatar fan fiction, and have not been satisfied with the ideas on communicating with and training an ikran. I apologize in advance if these ideas are already extant but not encountered by me.

As this story is independent of humans, the animals are identified using the Na'vi names. Here are the human names and Na'vi equivalents for these animals: direhorse is pa'li, banshee is ikran, great leonopteryx is toruk, hexapede is yerik, viperwolf is nantang, tapirus is fwampop, arachnoid is kali'weya, and brainworm is eltungawng. Likewise for plants: woodsprite is atokirina'. In all cases, the plural is formed by prefixing the Na'vi word shown with 'ay'. Unlike English, where the number of the subject and verb must agree, the Na'vi language eliminates that redundancy. In one draft, I used the Na'vi plural where needed to make the numbers agree, but it looked very ugly. Taking my lead from Na'vi, I used the singular form of these names everywhere, and let the number come from the context. Yes, it is more complicated than that, but please bear with me. Sorry if you find this confusing, just think of this approach as a baby step towards learning Na'vi.

Thanks to Bigoldfrog for your review. There is no way I can possibly read all the Avatar fan fiction on the web, but I am trying to be unique among what I have read. The story "Spirit Fliers" started as a placeholder in another story, "Hunt Party" that read "... like the Spirit Fliers in the First Songs." Now that this installment is the conclusion of "Spirit Fliers," my intention is to release "Hunt Party" as a series of short stories, allowing me to rate each piece individually and release them on an irregular schedule without keeping readers hanging. As this chapter was heavy emotionally, the next story will be very light.

Thanks also to dog demon katsunie for your interest.

**Chapter Three: Uniltaron**

His dream hunt is tomorrow night, so today and tomorrow are devoted to fasting, resting, and final preparations. Since he captured his ikran, they have flown every day, including rest days. He is under strict orders not to fly for three days, starting tomorrow, so his plan is to fly out this morning and capture a kali'weya, the poisonous arachnoid needed for the ceremony, and on the way back, let Big Blue make a big kill and gorge himself to tide him over until they can fly again.

Usually, each individual asks the clan leader and Tsahik for the dream hunt in front of the entire clan, followed by a long discussion to determine the worthiness of the individual making the request. He and his best friend, the son of the messenger that rode the first ikran he ever saw up close, talked about making their request together, so that their dream hunts are conducted at the same time. Since the whole clan must prepare for the event, and then attend the party afterward, they thought requesting a combined dream hunt would make it easier for everyone. When they asked the Tsahik, she said "Thank you for your consideration, but because the dream hunt is so important for the individual, and has a fatal outcome on rare occasions, each of you must have your dream hunt on different days. You also must make your request individually on separate days, so the proper discussions can be made." Looking at the younger hunter, she said " As you were not born into this clan, your discussion will take much longer, because the elders must decide whether the clan is going to admit you before deciding whether you are ready for the dream hunt." Looking at the older hunter, she said "You are older and were born into the clan, so you should go first. His request should wait until well after your dream hunt."

They spoke with their father, the messenger, who gave them valuable insights into the ceremony. "The Dream Hunt is very personal, but the discussion about your readiness is very public. How you respond to both parts affects the rest of your life. It is not simply the end of childhood and the start of adulthood. Eywa will give you a spirit animal, and it is up to you to discover how it applies to your life. You can take all the time you need to understand it. It may take the rest of your life. The public discussion is out of your control, and moves very quickly. It will be very difficult and embarrassing. It seems like every mistake you ever made will be mentioned. All that matters is how well you handle yourself in front of the clan. Do not get upset. Do not make others upset. Admit your mistakes and describe how you learned from them. Do not get into arguments. If you disagree with what is said, just say you do not remember it that way, but you will do better in the future. Everyone will know you are an adult when the discussion ends and no one leaves with hard feelings. Your reputation and your standing in the clan depends on your performance during the discussion. It is very difficult to overcome a bad performance, and your good points can be easily forgotten. Many mistakes were pointed out during my discussion, but everyone was smiling at the end. The elders were impressed enough to ask me to become a messenger. I'm sure both of you could do as well as I did."

Following the Tsahik's wishes, the messenger's son went before the clan at the appointed time and requested his dream hunt. A long discussion ensued, as expected. Many topics seemed trivial, all simple childhood mistakes. Several adults did most of the objecting, and he wondered if they were the messenger's rivals. The son followed his father's advice, and the discussion ended with everyone happy with his responses. His dream hunt was scheduled eight days later, and was unremarkable. Although his best friend survived the ordeal, he wasn't able to really enjoy his party, and it took several days for him to recover fully. Now he is ready for a party where he can celebrate in earnest, especially as he is now looking for a mate, and has his eyes on several unmated women.

His best friend described a great place to catch a kali'weya, and now he is flying his ikran out to that spot. His best friend caught his kali'weya there, and saw several more sunning themselves nearby, so this spot seems the best place to find one without needing to search a large area. The special basket used to carry a kali'weya on an ikran is tied to the harness behind his saddle. It is much lighter and easier to carry than the ancient stone jar sitting in the ceremonial level, where he will put his kali'weya when he gets back. This basket is actually two wicker baskets, one nested inside the other, each with a tight fitting lid that ties on. Each wicker basket is porous so the kali'weya can breathe, but placing one basket inside the other keeps the kali'weya from stinging anything on the outside. Until the smaller basket is placed in the larger basket, and the lids are tied on properly, there is a chance that the kali'weya can sting the holder. Many have handled kali'weya without incident, so he did not let that worry him. What did worry him was his dream hunt chant.

The Tsahik explained that each dream hunter ought to create a chant and repeat it as often as possible at the beginning of the ceremony, until the combined effect of the eltungawng and the kali'weya venom makes it impossible to continue chanting. She taught him the words to a chant used by many dream hunters who could not think of their own chant. Since he has always focused on the ikran, he created a chant that asks Eywa to give him the ikran as his spirit animal. The Tsahik said that his chant was a good first attempt, but the chant should not favor any particular animal, as the point of the dream hunt is to allow Eywa to reveal the spirit animal that will best guide the individual throughout adult life. Therefore, he promised he would think about his own chant, and let her know what he would use before the ceremony. In spite of much thinking, nothing seemed better than her chant, so that is what he would use. He did work out how he would sing the words, with his limited musical abilities. He just hoped he would not mistakenly say the lines from his chant favoring the ikran.

Of course, some spirit animals are more desirable than others. It is very bad luck to see a toruk during your dream hunt, even if it does not become your spirit animal. Other animals, such as a bug or a worm or the lowly fwampop, would be hard to understand as a spirit animal, or admit to others. The Tsahik insisted that he discuss his dream hunt and spirit animal with her after he has recovered from the experience. Only then would he begin to understand his spirit animal, no matter how mighty or humble. Since he desired flying an ikran his whole life, he could not imagine any other animal becoming his spirit animal. He just had to wait for the dream hunt to see what Eywa would provide.

He hated the thought of being grounded for three days. He loved flying, and Big Blue always seemed happiest while flying him. Many wondered whether Big Blue was the chief male in the rookery, and whether he would be happy after leaving his position there. He certainly changed the order with the other bonded ikran in the clan. He roosted on the lowest branch that first night in the tree home, because that is where they landed. At first light, he saw some small animals milling around the base of the tree. He swooped down, snatched up the largest with his snout, and flew across the river. He sat on a large stone on the edge of the water and devoured the old male fwampop, even though it was not very tasty. After this less than satisfying breakfast, he flew to the top of the tree, and chased off the ikran roosting in the prime spot at the very top. This resulted in a major reshuffling of roosting spots throughout the entire canopy, causing an uproar that lasted the whole morning. Since he was the biggest male ikran, few other ikran dared to challenge him, so he became the chief male in the tree and kept his new roosting spot. Only a toruk seemed capable of taking that spot away from him.

The commotion in the canopy was the main topic of discussion that morning when the six new riders met with the ikran trainer for the first training status meeting. The bonded ikran work out their hierarchy in the tree the same way as they do in the wild, but it is very rare to have such major changes occur. The biggest problem was having a newly bonded ikran roosting so far from the accessible branches. His rider had to work out a way to call Big Blue down when needed. He also got much more exercise climbing to the top-most accessible branch, a daily reminder of his trip to Iknimaya.

As promised, later that day he was assigned a senior hunter as his training partner. The ikran trainer usually does not partner with a new rider so he is free to work with whomever needs his help. However, his ikran was the son of Big Blue, and he joined them whenever he could to see how the father and son ikran interacted. The trainer was expecting either a bitter rivalry or a cooperative relationship, but it seemed the two ikran ignored each other, as if they were not related. There were occasional challenges, but nothing out of the ordinary. What was remarkable was that Big Blue was learning just as quickly as the other new ikran. Older ikran tend to do things as they learned in the wild, and are slow to change. The trainer could not decide whether Big Blue was that much smarter, his rider was that much better teaching him, the presence of his son motivated him to learn that much faster, or some other reason he could not see. Soon, the trainer replaced the senior hunter so he could watch the two ikran on a daily basis. One advantage of hunting with Big Blue is that the big ikran could carry much heavier loads. While a young new ikran can carry only its rider and half a skinned carcass of a yerik, Big Blue can carry his rider and a whole yerik, including head, guts, and skin. Since it takes far less time to blood a kill than to field dress and skin a kill, hunting assignments were completed much more quickly, giving both riders more time for other activities. In addition, many others in the clan really appreciate getting whole animals. The leather crafters use skins, brains, and hooves for leather, tanning, and glue, the jewelry makers use teeth and claws for adornments, the weapon makers use claws, large bones, and sinews for knife blades, knife handles, and bow strings, and the weavers use sharp teeth and small bones for awls and sewing needles. Most importantly, the healers always need livers and other organs for treating some patients. The food preparers use the tongues and remaining innards in certain delicacies. Not all hunters are able to bring back complete animals, so those that do are always much appreciated.

The ikran trainer was always impressed with the young rider's knowledge of ikran, even though he came from the plains, and thought maybe he would make a good second once he gained more experience. The trainer invited him to observe his methods with other riders who asked for his help. Having Big Blue demonstrate desired behavior often worked, as no ikran could ignore him. The trainer also asked him to help with the treatment of sick or injured ikran. The trainer could not make him his assistant until after he was formally inducted into the clan, but he intended to make the request to the clan elders soon after the young rider's dream hunt. The trainer did ask him about becoming his assistant, and the young hunter was eager for the opportunity, even though he must wait until he was an adult member of the clan.

The trainer asked about his personal life. "I see you spend almost all your time with Big Blue. Is there a woman in your life?"

"Well, when I was with my birth clan, I asked to leave and join this clan at a very young age so I could fly an ikran. Everyone knew I would leave someday, so the girls were not interested in me. Here, I am an outsider and not a full member of this clan, so again the girls have not been interested. When I first arrived here, my best friend often said that he would be mated on the day after his dream hunt. He is a respected member of a respected family, and he wasn't able to get any woman interested in him until after his dream hunt. So, I hope that once I become a full-fledged adult member of this clan, the women will become interested in me. All my life, I've wanted to fly, and flying with Big Blue still thrills me more than anything else. That is happiness enough for now. After my dream hunt, I'll start looking for a woman. I think capturing an ikran is much easier, though." They both laughed, but the trainer decided he would talk to the Tsahik after the dream hunt and see what could be done.

The trainer also helped with preparations for the discussion on the future of the young hunter from the plains. He convinced him to go to all leaders that benefited from his hunting, and ask them to say some good words at his discussion. The trainer also asked him about the mistakes he has made since arriving from the plains. Like all hunters, he has had bad days when he could not catch anything. The worst was his second solo hunting trip into the forest, where a pack of nantang attacked him while he was carrying home a yerik carcass. He had to give up his kill to escape with his life, and it never would have happened if he had been more aware of his surroundings during the return trip. A wasted kill is not a serious transgression, but most likely will be brought up. The trainer coached the young rider with responses that would mollify the elders.

At the appointed time, the clan leader called the young man from the plains forward to speak to the clan, who said "I have passed all the tests. I respectfully request the Dream Hunt, and admission into this clan." With these words, the discussion on him commenced. The leader of the hunters called the various trainers of hunting skills forward, each of whom gave a brief assessment of his skills and accomplishments, good and bad. His encounter with the nantang pack was discussed in detail, and his preparations on this issue with the ikran trainer really helped. The ikran trainer was called, and said that even though he had difficulties in the rookery, he did capture an ikran, and has done well training it. The one surprising issue was complaints, mainly from the same people that spoke against his best friend, that he was not known well enough by the clan to be admitted. He did not know how to respond and kept quiet, and was looking rather frustrated as this issue was expanded upon by others. His adoptive parents, the messenger and his mate, came to his rescue by listing various clan service activities where he had participated, such as the periodic refurbishments of the toilet and bathing areas, and even tied some of the complainers to those same activities. The leaders of the crafts of leather, jewelry, weaving, and weapons, and the leaders of the healers and food preparers, came forward and explained how he was known to them and their helpers because he routinely provided full animal carcasses. His opponents countered that this was because of his ikran and not his own efforts, and he was very lucky to have this ikran as he did not physically subdue it in the rookery. This discussion dragged on until the clan leader spoke up. He said "I was there in the rookery, and this is what I saw. The first capture was done by his best friend, and was nearly perfect. His capture was second, and was nearly a disaster. He was too slow on the sidestep, he used his ikran catcher poorly, he misjudged his jump onto the neck of the ikran, and got cut on the leg by a wing claw. I was about to command a rescue attempt to save his life. But, in spite of his mistakes and the dangerous situation he made, he had the presence of mind to make the bond and capture his ikran, even though he did not subdue it. That ikran is so big, I'm not certain anyone could have subdued it. He is lucky to have this ikran that flew to him in the rookery, but he deserves it because he captured it. I also remember seeing him at other service activities. The one I remember best was the river bank repairs after that unusually heavy rainstorm a couple of seasons before his trip to Iknimaya. Like many other hunters, he got caught out in that storm overnight. He came back that morning carrying a yerik carcass. Once he got around the washed-out part of the trail, he sprinted to the tree carrying his kill. He dropped it off with the food preparers, set his hunting gear down inside out of the rain, and sprinted back to help rebuild the bank and trail. Many others walked by, some with kills and others empty-handed, but none helped with the repairs as quickly as he did. If any clan member does not know him, maybe it is their mistake and not his." With that comment, the discussion ended. The clan leader polled the elders, and none objected to his entry into the clan. The clan leader asked if there were any objections concerning the dream hunt. As none were raised, his dream hunt was scheduled eight days later. Except for a couple of those that spoke against him, everyone left satisfied with the discussion. He did not do as well as his best friend, but his performance left him in good standing with the clan, and will help him in the future.

He saw the clearing just where his best friend described, and carefully landed in it. He closely scanned the area, and neither saw nor heard any sign of trouble. Twisting around in his seat, he untied the cover from the outer basket, removed the inner basket that would hold his kali'weya, and untied its cover. After another careful scan of the clearing, he jumped down and broke the bond with his ikran.

Gliding over to a log that was partly in the shade, he saw several kali'weya sunning themselves. As he reached for one, all of them ran away from him. He stepped over the log and tried blocking them with the basket, but he toppled over the log. His foot had landed on what felt like solid ground, but broke into a hole as his weight shifted onto it. Immediately, he felt several very sharp pains in his foot and ankle, and pulled his foot out of the hole. He had unwittingly stepped into a nest of kali'weya, and now was under attack. Angry kali'weya covered his foot and stung him repeatedly. He rolled onto his back, lifted both legs up, and kicked at the bugs with his other foot, collecting stings in that foot as well. More bugs boiled out of the hole, so he rolled onto his hands and knees, and crawled around the tree as fast as he could to escape them. He brushed the remaining kali'weya off his body, and got some stings in both hands. He could see his feet swelling up and turning an ugly shade of purple, and his hands were following suit. He called Big Blue, who landed beside him. Ignoring the pain as best he could, he climbed onto his partner's back. They bonded, and took off for home.

Although his rider was trying hard to block the feelings, Big Blue felt the sharp physical pains and strong emotional turmoil. Never had the ikran experienced such feelings through the bond, and realized his rider was in serious trouble. He did his best to block the feelings and keep from reacting. Most alarming to him was the seemingly dead weight of the rider on his back, who was sitting very still and not directing the flight in any way. The ikran knew the way home, and flew faster than he had ever flown before in straight and level flight.

Sometime later, the emotional turmoil coming through the bond had subsided to a single, urgent thought, "Get home!" The pain also subsided, but the rider still was not behaving normally. The bond was becoming a void, and that was very upsetting to the ikran. He would rather face a toruk than this emptiness. Then the bond snapped as the weight dropped off his back.

In shock, the ikran realized his rider had fallen off. He made a sharp turn and dived towards the unconscious rider who was hurtling to the ground. Fortunately, they were high enough that he could catch his rider before hitting the canopy of the forest. He had caught prey countless times before, but never had he tried to catch something without causing injury. He opened his mouth partway to keep his teeth somewhat retracted, and scooped his rider out of the air, snagging him just above the hips. He was holding onto a soft part of the rider's body, and knew he could bite him in half if he bit down too hard. The ikran slowed to almost a hover, and moved the rider around his mouth until it felt like he was not going to fall out. The rider was face down, with head, shoulders, arms, and legs sticking out, with almost his entire torso covered by the mouth of the ikran. Once he felt that his rider was secure in his mouth and not in danger of being bitten apart, he resumed his flight back home at full speed. Most ikran could not fly with so much weight in its mouth, but Big Blue just did what he had to do. Since his rider was lying on his tongue, he could feel the rider breathe, and that was oddly comforting without the bond. Only the tail and loincloth in his throat were distractions, but the ikran ignored them as best he could.

When they arrived at the tree home, the ikran landed on the plaza at the main entrance. Letting the injured rider slide slowly onto the ground, the ikran hopped back, and cried out as loudly as possible. Although the rider's extremities were grotesquely swollen, the two warriors on sentry duty immediately recognized him, and carried him into the tree and up to the healers' alcoves on the gathering level. A hunter who was cleaning his kill nearby threw some fresh meat to the frazzled ikran, who gratefully gulped it down and screeched his thanks. The ikran flew to the bank of the river and took a long drink of water trying to kill the aftertaste of the loincloth in his throat. He took off again, remembering to use the ikran area before flying onto the trunk of the tree, hanging on the bark close to the alcove on the gathering level where the healers were working on his rider.

He was covered with ikran saliva, so the healers quickly washed him. His loincloth was completely soaked and dripping on the floor, so they cut that off. Then, they noticed ikran teeth marks all over his torso, front and back. No bite was very deep, but did break the skin in numerous places. After being bathed with saliva, these wounds would be very hard to heal. As the other healers worked on the bites, the leader of the healers administered the usual treatment for kali'weya stings, but this was the worst case she had ever seen. Most victims have only one or two stings, but this rider had more stings than could easily be counted. The anti-toxin was also dangerous, and she gave him as much as she dared. The strongest have succumbed from one sting, but usually they could survive. One sting is enough to kill children, the elderly, and the sick. Even though he was a strong, young adult, no one expected him to survive the night.

The Tsahik and clan leader arrived together. The clan leader huddled with the warriors, wanting to know all the details of the incident on the plaza with the big blue ikran and his rider. The Tsahik stopped just outside the alcove to get the news from the healers, and then went inside to the rider.

"I See you, young hunter. You are in a very bad way, and everyone is praying to Eywa for your recovery."

"I See you, Tsahik," he whispered. "Thanks for the prayers," he gasped. "Now that I have been stung," another gasp, "could we start my dream hunt?"

"You should rest now, and we will do your dream hunt some other time."

"There may not be another time." He picked his head up to look at her more directly. "Please give me the chance, while I can. I'll use your chant."

The Tsahik smiled, closed her eyes, and entered her trance state to talk to Eywa. Almost immediately, she received the answer, "Start his Dream Hunt now."

The Tsahik opened her eyes and said "Eywa has granted your request. We will carry you to the ceremonial level and begin."

She strode out of the alcove, and gave the order to begin the ceremony. The leader of the healers tied a plain new loincloth onto the injured hunter. The clan leader left to gather the elders and other witnesses. The two warriors that had carried him up to the healers from the main entrance picked him up again and carried him down the spiral ramp to the ceremonial level, where they placed him on the ground, sitting up. The Tsahik arrived in her ceremonial garb, carrying the white paint pot, and painted him with the lines and whorls signifying the dream hunter. The clan leader and elders arrived, and took their places. One began playing the water drum at a very steady, slow rhythm. The Tsahik hurriedly performed the ritual cleansing with incense, and immediately followed that with the removal of a glowing brainworm from a fallen branch that once grew on the Tree of Souls. Holding up the eltungawng, she said, "O wise worm, eater of the sacred tree, bless this worthy hunter with a true vision." She dropped the worm onto his tongue. The dream hunter chewed and swallowed the eltungawng, slumped forwards onto his elbows, and started chanting softly. He was not able to repeat the Tsahik's chant many times before collapsing flat on his stomach.

_Eywa blesses the ground with roaming animals._

_Eywa blesses the air with flying animals._

_Eywa blesses waters with swimming animals._

_Eywa, bless me with my own spirit animal._

The big blue ikran had felt his rider move within the tree, but that was typical. What was not typical was the fact that the connection to his rider seemed to be fading out. This loss had never happened before, not even when his rider fell unconscious off his back, and it disturbed him deeply. He had to find his rider, now! He dropped off the side of the tree and spun around to dive straight to the ground. As his speed increased, he pulled up and flapped away from the tree, banked over as hard as he could, and sped into the largest opening he could see at ground level. Being a creature of the sky, he hated enclosed spaces, and was fighting all of his instincts to fly inside the tree. Although the space was irregular, he had room to fly straight and level, but no other maneuver seemed possible. His presence shocked the people and animals inside the tree, and many cries and shouts echoed in the tight space. The warning drum added its alarm to the din. He meant no harm, but several hunters shot arrows in him more from reflex than understanding. The arrows stung at first, but the pain quickly faded as the neurotoxin set in. He suddenly felt cold and heavy, and struggled to remain airborne.

He sensed his rider was straight ahead and down, so he positioned himself to land as he flew through the double helix that surrounded the core of the tree. He bellowed a warning screech, dropped down to the dirt floor of the ceremonial level, and landed beside his rider. He roared his greeting cry, but his rider barely moved. Then, the dream hunter slowly uttered the words from his original chant.

_The ikran inhabit the air._

_The Na'vi inhabit the ground._

_Together, they inhabit everywhere._

_Eywa, please make the ikran my spirit animal._

The witnesses to the dream hunt had scattered back to the edges of the ceremonial area when the ikran screeched its warning, and now cautiously closed in on the pair in the center of the floor. A number of warriors and hunters scurried down the ramps, with weapons at the ready, but the clan leader waved them to halt. The Tsahik saw the arrows bristling from the body of the ikran, and walked around to face the dying beast.

She grasped the head of the big blue ikran and guided it onto her shoulder, holding it against her head. "Why are you here? What brought you deep inside this tree? Never before has an ikran flown into a tree to be with its rider. When an ikran rider dies, the surviving ikran always flies away, never to be seen again." The ikran could not understand the words, but understood the touch of the Tsahik on its face and soul, and began keening softly.

The Tsahik entered her trance, and again Eywa answered almost immediately. "The spirit animal of this dream hunter has always been the ikran, and now this ikran has come to be with his rider. Together, their spirits will fly to me, and will fly together always. Help them make tsaheylu one last time. Bury them together against the roots of this tree, in the deepest place close to where they now lie."

The Tsahik gently set the head of the ikran down onto the ground, knelt between them, and brought antenna and queue together to make the bond between the ikran and its rider for the last time.

The clan leader knelt down on the other side of the dream hunter, placed his hands on the hip and shoulder of the dream hunter, and spoke the concluding lines of the ceremony in a strong voice filled with emotion. Usually, before these words are said, the dream hunter walks from the ceremonial level to the ground level, signifying the return from the spiritual world to the physical world, but that would not happen today. "You are now a son of this clan. You are part of The People."

The Tsahik placed her hands on the dream hunter's body opposite the clan leader's hands. The other participants placed their hands to form the familiar spider web pattern. Clan members came down the ramps to join in, beckoning those behind them to follow. In short order, almost the entire clan was joined, with the dream hunter and Big Blue in the center of the pattern. Just as the last clan members joined the formation, an eerie sound filtered through the tree, as all ikran near the tree began keening the deaths of the pair.

The Tsahik stood up and spoke solemnly. "Eywa has granted them an unusual honor. Their spirits in Eywa will fly together for all time. Their bodies are to be buried together here in the ceremonial area, among the roots of this tree, at the deepest point, over there." She pointed to the place against the far wall where a deep sinkhole has existed for generations. "Gather enough warriors to move the bodies into the hole. After the funeral service, dig out the soil from the alcoves to cover them until they have been properly buried."

Later that day, the bodies had been prepared and carefully moved into the sinkhole. The ceremonial level was packed with the clan elders, the messenger's family, the ikran trainer's family, and the dream hunter's friends and classmates. Many other clan members stood on the spiral ramps and beside the central core on the ground level, looking down at the crowd in the ceremonial level. The Tsahik presided over the service, holding an atokirina' until needed. The messenger had removed the belongings rack and brought it for burial with his adopted son. When it came time to place the rack in the hole, his son, the best friend of the dream hunter, removed the few clothing and adornment items and dropped them in place, leaving only the two toys still hanging from the rack. He reached out over the grave, and attached the rack to a root hanging overhead. The crowd murmured their approval of this unusual memorial.

The following day, the messenger, his wife, and son flew to the clan on the plains to relay the sad news and offer condolences. The singers in the forest clan also gathered that day, and composed a song to commemorate the unusual events surrounding the life and death of the boy from the plains who loved flying his ikran, and his over-sized blue ikran who loved his rider enough to fly him to Eywa.

To this day, the belongings rack and the pa'li toy from the plains and the ikran toy from the forest are still hanging on the root in the ceiling of the ceremonial level, marking the burial spot of the spirit fliers.

Finis


End file.
